The Long Goodbye

The time had come for us to leave Guildford.  Lesley and Joe are staying put to meet up again with Sue and Vic on No Problem who had previously arrived and then departed to return grandchildren to their rightful owners further up the Wey and then were to return to Guildford.   But we had to make tracks, we have to return home to look after the farm for three weeks whilst David's brother is away.  There is a shortage of boatyards on the Thames who can cater for long narrowboats, but David has found one further up but he wants to enjoy the Thames a bit and not belt up sort of thing.

Reversing away from our friends with whom we have spent the past four months with

Early morning tea was provided.

He turned in the same place as George had on SR but fluffed it a bit.

Rubbish on the front all ready for the nearby bin.

Leaving the splendid Guildford.

We stopped at Dapdune Wharf to service the boat (We had been flushing the loo with river water to preserve stocks remarkably clean it was too, I fished out the leaves before flushing).  Here at a wee museum run by the National Trust is a preserved Wey Barge that was built in the early 1930's.  Visitors are able to go on the barge but the place hadn't opened yet.  Next time.

Fond farewells and big hugs for bestest chums Lesley and Joe who left us here to fall in the loving arms of B&Q without a backward glance at us two weeping.  

So this is that troublesome bridge just north of Guildford

 Coming into Guildford we recked at a rough guess that we had eight inches breathing space, not this time after masses more rain...

Make your own guess here but it wasn't a lot.

The trip down had taken us 5.5 hours from the pretty meadows, today with only little me doing the locks instead of Lesley, Amanda and me, we were much quicker.  Nearly every lock had had to be emptied on the trip down but I think all the locks were in our favour on the way back plus the river going a bit faster and not being so shallow in places all helped.

This row of blue barrels are to protect this boat from being walloped by boats coming out of this lock and believe me he needed them when we came through, not that WaL hit him but it is a sharp turn for long boats.  I hope he pays little for this mooring.

This part of the Wey is more open and pleasant

It was sunny earlier but not now.

Hardly any boats about, but here comes one.

So sorry not to have spent longer with you both, next time eh?

A few sharp bends here at Sutton Bridge, a weir on the right, a blind bend.

An old roller post here to help the old barges around the corner.

I wouldn't really want to meet a wide beam here...

David said the rain was due at midday, as we turned to wave No Problem past we caught sight of threatening clouds sneaking up on us, I pointed at a gap and suggested mooring there might be an idea, he quibbled, I felt a drop of rain and we moored in a hurry to have the heavens open at 12:04pm.  There we stayed snugged up reading for the afternoon at Send, in a nice open spot well before the pub  and the noisy road.

Supper was chicken with chilli, ginger and lime.